SoroushVahidi/scidocs huggingface dataset:
The beauty of capturing faces: Rating the quality of digital portraits
(2015)

Digital portrait photographs are everywhere, and while the number of face pictures keeps growing, not much work has been done to on automatic portrait beauty assessment. In this paper, we design a specific framework to automatically evaluate the beauty of digital portraits. To this end, we procure a large dataset of face images annotated not only with aesthetic scores but also with information about the traits of the subject portrayed. We design a set of visual features based on portrait photography literature, and extensively analyze their relation with portrait beauty, exposing interesting findings about what makes a portrait beautiful. We find that the beauty of a portrait is linked to its artistic value, and independent from age, race and gender of the subject. We also show that a classifier trained with our features to separate beautiful portraits from non-beautiful portraits outperforms generic aesthetic classifiers.
Universal construction based on 3D printing electric motors: Steps towards self-replicating robots to transform space exploration
(2017)

Through a recent confluence of technological capacities, self-replicating robots have become a potentially nearterm rather than speculative technology. In a practical sense, self-replicating robots can never become obsolete — the first self- replicating robots will spawn all future generations of robots, subject to deliberate upgrading and/or evolutionary change. Furthermore, this technology promises to revolutionise space exploration by bypassing the apparently-insurmountable problem of high launch costs. We present recent efforts in 3D printing the key robotic components required for any such self- replicating machine.
Millimeter-Wave MultiBeam Aperture-Coupled Magnetoelectric Dipole Array With Planar Substrate Integrated Beamforming Network for 5G Applications
(2017)

A modified topology of the 2-D multibeam antenna array fed by a passive beamforming network (BFN) is proposed by introducing two sets of vertical interconnections into the conventional array configuration. Different from the traditional design, the new array structure can be integrated into multilayered planar substrates conveniently, which has advantages of low loss characteristics, ease of realization, and low fabrication cost for millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications. A  $4\times4$  multibeam antenna array that can generate 16 beams is then designed, fabricated, and measured in order to demonstrate the correctness of the proposed topology. As the crucial components of the design, two kinds of aperture-coupled magnetoelectric dipole antenna elements with multilayered feed structures and three types of vertical interconnections consisting of the vertical substrate integrated waveguides are investigated, respectively. Wide bandwidth of 16.4%, stable radiation beams, and gain up to 14.7 dBi are achieved by the fabricated prototype. The proposed array configuration provides a new mean to implement the relatively large size 2-D multibeam antenna arrays with planar passive BFNs, which would be attractive for future mmWave wireless systems used for 5G communications and other applications.
A framework for improved video text detection and recognition
(2012)

Text displayed in a video is an essential part for the high-level semantic information of the video content. Therefore, video text can be used as a valuable source for automated video indexing in digital video libraries. In this paper, we propose a workflow for video text detection and recognition. In the text detection stage, we have developed a fast localization-verification scheme, in which an edge-based multi-scale text detector first identifies potential text candidates with high recall rate. Then, detected candidate text lines are refined by using an image entropy-based filter. Finally, Stroke Width Transform (SWT)- and Support Vector Machine (SVM)-based verification procedures are applied to eliminate the false alarms. For text recognition, we have developed a novel skeleton-based binarization method in order to separate text from complex backgrounds to make it processible for standard OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. Operability and accuracy of proposed text detection and binarization methods have been evaluated by using publicly available test data sets.
Road-marking Analysis for Autonomous Vehicle Guidance
(2007)

Driving an automobile autonomously on rural roads requires knowledge about the geometry of the road. Furthermore, knowledge about the meaning of each lane of the road is needed in order to decide which lane should be taken and if the vehicle can do a lane change. This paper addresses the problem of extracting additional information about lanes. The information is extracted from the types of road-markings. The type of lane border markings is estimated in order to find out if a lane change is allowed. Arrows, which are painted on the road, are extracted and classified in order to determine the meaning of a lane such as a turn off lane.
Clustering with Lower Bound on Similarity
(2009)

We propose a new method, called SimClus, for clustering with lower bound on similarity. Instead of accepting k the number of clusters to find, the alternative similarity-based approach imposes a lower bound on the similarity between an object and its corresponding cluster representative (with one representative per cluster). SimClus achieves a O(log n) approximation bound on the number of clusters, whereas for the best previous algorithm the bound can be as poor as O(n). Experiments on real and synthetic datasets show that our algorithm produces more than 40% fewer representative objects, yet offers the same or better clustering quality. We also propose a dynamic variant of the algorithm, which can be effectively used in an on-line setting.
The long history of gaming in military training
(2008)

There is a long history of the dual-use of games in both the military and the entertainment applications. This has taken the form of sand tables, miniatures, board games, and computer games. The current tension between entertainment and military applications of games is just the return of similar concerns that surrounded the gaming tools and technologies of previous generations. Dynamic representations of the physical world are interesting and useful tools in a number of fields, to include the military, city planning, architecture, education, and entertainment. Computer games are tools that allow all of these audiences to accomplish similar goals.
A Tractable Approach to Coverage and Rate in Cellular Networks
(2011)

Cellular networks are usually modeled by placing the base stations on a grid, with mobile users either randomly scattered or placed deterministically. These models have been used extensively but suffer from being both highly idealized and not very tractable, so complex system-level simulations are used to evaluate coverage/outage probability and rate. More tractable models have long been desirable. We develop new general models for the multi-cell signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) using stochastic geometry. Under very general assumptions, the resulting expressions for the downlink SINR CCDF (equivalent to the coverage probability) involve quickly computable integrals, and in some practical special cases can be simplified to common integrals (e.g., the Q-function) or even to simple closed-form expressions. We also derive the mean rate, and then the coverage gain (and mean rate loss) from static frequency reuse. We compare our coverage predictions to the grid model and an actual base station deployment, and observe that the proposed model is pessimistic (a lower bound on coverage) whereas the grid model is optimistic, and that both are about equally accurate. In addition to being more tractable, the proposed model may better capture the increasingly opportunistic and dense placement of base stations in future networks.
Channel Estimation and Hybrid Precoding for Millimeter Wave Cellular Systems
(2014)

Millimeter wave (mmWave) cellular systems will enable gigabit-per-second data rates thanks to the large bandwidth available at mmWave frequencies. To realize sufficient link margin, mmWave systems will employ directional beamforming with large antenna arrays at both the transmitter and receiver. Due to the high cost and power consumption of gigasample mixed-signal devices, mmWave precoding will likely be divided among the analog and digital domains. The large number of antennas and the presence of analog beamforming requires the development of mmWave-specific channel estimation and precoding algorithms. This paper develops an adaptive algorithm to estimate the mmWave channel parameters that exploits the poor scattering nature of the channel. To enable the efficient operation of this algorithm, a novel hierarchical multi-resolution codebook is designed to construct training beamforming vectors with different beamwidths. For single-path channels, an upper bound on the estimation error probability using the proposed algorithm is derived, and some insights into the efficient allocation of the training power among the adaptive stages of the algorithm are obtained. The adaptive channel estimation algorithm is then extended to the multi-path case relying on the sparse nature of the channel. Using the estimated channel, this paper proposes a new hybrid analog/digital precoding algorithm that overcomes the hardware constraints on the analog-only beamforming, and approaches the performance of digital solutions. Simulation results show that the proposed low-complexity channel estimation algorithm achieves comparable precoding gains compared to exhaustive channel training algorithms. The results illustrate that the proposed channel estimation and precoding algorithms can approach the coverage probability achieved by perfect channel knowledge even in the presence of interference.
Spatially Sparse Precoding in Millimeter Wave MIMO Systems
(2014)

Millimeter wave (mmWave) signals experience orders-of-magnitude more pathloss than the microwave signals currently used in most wireless applications and all cellular systems. MmWave systems must therefore leverage large antenna arrays, made possible by the decrease in wavelength, to combat pathloss with beamforming gain. Beamforming with multiple data streams, known as precoding, can be used to further improve mmWave spectral efficiency. Both beamforming and precoding are done digitally at baseband in traditional multi-antenna systems. The high cost and power consumption of mixed-signal devices in mmWave systems, however, make analog processing in the RF domain more attractive. This hardware limitation restricts the feasible set of precoders and combiners that can be applied by practical mmWave transceivers. In this paper, we consider transmit precoding and receiver combining in mmWave systems with large antenna arrays. We exploit the spatial structure of mmWave channels to formulate the precoding/combining problem as a sparse reconstruction problem. Using the principle of basis pursuit, we develop algorithms that accurately approximate optimal unconstrained precoders and combiners such that they can be implemented in low-cost RF hardware. We present numerical results on the performance of the proposed algorithms and show that they allow mmWave systems to approach their unconstrained performance limits, even when transceiver hardware constraints are considered.
An introduction to millimeter-wave mobile broadband systems
(2011)

Almost all mobile communication systems today use spectrum in the range of 300 MHz-3 GHz. In this article, we reason why the wireless community should start looking at the 3-300 GHz spectrum for mobile broadband applications. We discuss propagation and device technology challenges associated with this band as well as its unique advantages for mobile communication. We introduce a millimeter-wave mobile broadband (MMB) system as a candidate next generation mobile communication system. We demonstrate the feasibility for MMB to achieve gigabit-per-second data rates at a distance up to 1 km in an urban mobile environment. A few key concepts in MMB network architecture such as the MMB base station grid, MMB interBS backhaul link, and a hybrid MMB + 4G system are described. We also discuss beamforming techniques and the frame structure of the MMB air interface.
Millimeter Wave Mobile Communications for 5 G Cellular : It Will Work !
(2013)

The global bandwidth shortage facing wireless carriers has motivated the exploration of the underutilized millimeter wave (mm-wave) frequency spectrum for future broadband cellular communication networks. There is, however, little knowledge about cellular mm-wave propagation in densely populated indoor and outdoor environments. Obtaining this information is vital for the design and operation of future fifth generation cellular networks that use the mm-wave spectrum. In this paper, we present the motivation for new mm-wave cellular systems, methodology, and hardware for measurements and offer a variety of measurement results that show 28 and 38 GHz frequencies can be used when employing steerable directional antennas at base stations and mobile devices. INDEX TERMS 28GHz, 38GHz, millimeter wave propagation measurements, directional antennas, channel models, 5G, cellular, mobile communications, MIMO.
Combined ivermectin and doxycycline treatment has microfilaricidal and adulticidal activity against Dirofilaria immitis in experimentally infected dogs.
(2008)

There is still a pressing need for effective adulticide treatment for human and animal filarial infections. Like many filarial nematodes, Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of canine heartworm disease, harbours the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia, which has been shown to be essential for worm development, fecundity and survival. Here the authors report the effect of different treatment regimens in dogs experimentally infected with adult D. immitis on microfilariemia, antigenemia, worm recovery and Wolbachia content. Treatment with ivermectin (IVM; 6 microg/kg per os weekly) combined with doxycycline (DOXY; 10 mg/kg/day orally from Weeks 0-6, 10-12, 16-18, 22-26 and 28-34) resulted in a significantly faster decrease of circulating microfilariae and higher adulticidal activity compared with either IVM or DOXY alone. Quantitative PCR analysis of ftsZ (Wolbachia DNA) and 18S rDNA (nematode DNA) absolute copy numbers showed significant decreases in Wolbachia content compared with controls in worms recovered from DOXY-treated dogs that were not, however, associated with worm death. Worms from IVM/DOXY-treated dogs, on the other hand, had Wolbachia/nematode DNA ratios similar to those of control worms, suggesting a loss of both Wolbachia and nematode DNA as indicated by absolute copy number values. Histology and transmission electron microscopy of worms recovered from the IVM/DOXY combination group showed complete loss of uterine content in females and immunohistochemistry for Wolbachia was negative. Results indicate that the combination of these two drugs causes adult worm death. This could have important implications for control of human and animal filarial infections.
Landing Strategies in Honeybees and Applications to Uninhabited Airborne Vehicles
(2004)

An application of insect visuomotor behavior to automatic control of landing is explored. Insects, being perhaps more reliant on image motion cues than mammals or higher vertebrates, are proving to be an excellent organism in which to investigate how information on optic flow is exploited to guide locomotion and navigation. We have observed how bees perform grazing landings on a flat surface and have deduced the algorithmic basis for the behavior. A smooth landing is achieved by a surprisingly simple and elegant strategy: image velocity is held constant as the surface is approached, thus automatically ensuring that flight speed is close to zero at touchdown. No explicit knowledge of flight speed or height above the ground is necessary. The feasibility of this landing strategy was tested by implementation in a robotic gantry. We also outline our current efforts at exploring the applicability of this and related techniques to the guidance of uninhabited airborne vehicles (UAVs). Aspects of the algorithm were tested on a small UAV using real imagery to control
A New Approach for Resource Scheduling with Deep Reinforcement Learning
(2018)

With the rapid development of deep learning, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) began to appear in the field of resource scheduling in recent years. Based on the previous research on DRL in the literature, we introduce online resource scheduling algorithm DeepRM2 and the offline resource scheduling algorithm DeepRM_Off. Compared with the state-of-the-art DRL algorithm DeepRM and heuristic algorithms, our proposed algorithms have faster convergence speed and better scheduling efficiency with regarding to average slowdown time, job completion time and rewards.
COTS-based software development: Processes and open issues
(2002)

The work described in this paper is an investigation of COTS-based software development within a particular NASA environment, with an emphasis on the processes used. Fifteen projects using a COTS-based approach were studied and their actual process was documented. This process is evaluated to identify essential differences in comparison to traditional software development. The main differences, and the activities for which projects require more guidance, are requirements definition and COTS selection, high level design, integration and testing. Starting from these empirical observations, a new process and set of guidelines for COTS-based development are developed and briefly presented.
UML CLASS DIAGRAM OR ENTITY RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM? AN OBJECT-RELATIONAL CONCEPTUAL IMPEDANCE MISMATCH
(2013)

It is now nearly 30 years since Peter Chen’s watershed paper “The Entity-Relationship Model – towards a Unified View of Data”. [1] The entity relationship model and variations and extensions to it have been taught in colleges and universities for many years. In his original paper Peter Chen looked at converting his new ER model to the then existing data structure diagrams for the Network model. In recent years there has been a tendency to use a Unified Modelling Language (UML) class diagram for conceptual modeling for relational databases, and several popular course text books use UML notation to some degree [2] [3]. However Object and Relational technology are based on different paradigms. In the paper we argue that the UML class diagram is more of a logical model (implementation specific). ER Diagrams on the other hand, are at a conceptual level of database design dealing with the main items and their relationships and not with implementation specific detail. UML focuses on OOAD (Object Oriented Analysis and Design) and is navigational and program dependent whereas the relational model is set based and exhibits data independence. The ER model provides a well-established set of mapping rules for mapping to a relational model. In this paper we look specifically at the areas which can cause problems for the novice database designer due to this conceptual mismatch of two different paradigms. Firstly, transferring the mapping of a weak entity from an Entity Relationship model to UML and secondly the representation of structural constraints between objects. We look at the mixture of notations which students mistakenly use when modeling. This is often the result of different notations being used on different courses throughout their degree. Several of the popular text books at the moment use either a variation of ER, UML, or both for teaching database modeling. At the moment if a student picks up a text book they could be faced with either; one of the many ER variations, UML, UML and a variation of ER both covered separately, or UML and ER merged together. We regard this problem as a conceptual impedance mismatch. This problem is documented in [21] who have produced a catalogue of impedance mismatch problems between object-relational and relational paradigms. We regard the problems of using UML class diagrams for relational database design as a conceptual impedance mismatch as the Entity Relationship model does not have the structures in the model to deal with Object Oriented concepts
Controlling Physically Based Virtual Musical Instruments Using The Gloves
(2014)

In this paper we propose an empirical method to develop mapping strategies between a gestural-based interface (the Gloves) and physically based sound synthesis models. An experiment was conducted to investigate which gestures listeners associate with sounds synthesised using physical models, corresponding to three categories of sound: sustained, iterative and impulsive. The results of the experiment show that listeners perform similar gestures when controlling sounds from the different categories. We used such gestures in order to create the mapping strategy between the Gloves and the physically based synthesis engine.
The role of rumination in depressive disorders and mixed anxiety/depressive symptoms.
(2000)

Several studies have shown that people who engage in ruminative responses to depressive symptoms have higher levels of depressive symptoms over time, after accounting for baseline levels of depressive symptoms. The analyses reported here showed that rumination also predicted depressive disorders, including new onsets of depressive episodes. Rumination predicted chronicity of depressive disorders before accounting for the effects of baseline depressive symptoms but not after accounting for the effects of baseline depressive symptoms. Rumination also predicted anxiety symptoms and may be particularly characteristic of people with mixed anxiety/depressive symptoms.
A direct approach to estimating surfaces in tomographic data
(2002)

Under ideal circumstances, the inverse of the radon transform is computable, and sequences of measured projections are sufficient to obtain accurate estimates of volume densities. In situations where the sinogram data is incomplete, the radon transform is noninvertable, and attempts to reconstruct greyscale density values result in reconstruction artifacts that can undermine the effectiveness of subsequent processing. This paper presents a direct approach to the segmentation of incomplete tomographic data. The strategy is to impose a fairly simple model on the data, and treat segmentation as a problem of estimating the interface between two substances of somewhat homogeneous density. The segmentation is achieved by simultaneously deforming a surface model and updating density parameters in order to achieve a best fit between the projected model and the measured sinograms. The deformation is implemented with level-set surface models, calculated at the resolution of the input data. Relative to previous work, this paper makes several contributions. First is a proper derivation of the deformation of surface models that move according to a gradient descent on a likelihood measure. We also present a series of computational innovations that make this direct surface-fitting approach feasible with state-of-the-art computers. Another contribution is the demonstration of the effectiveness of this approach on under-constrained tomographic problems, using both simulated and real datasets.